First American Barleywine

cslewisster · 02-17-2009, 03:45 PM

So what can I expect? I'm using a kit with basically this (there are a few mods to the recipe, my kit came with grains and one of the hop pellets were different)

12 lb. Alexander’s Pale Malt Extract
½ lb. Munton’s Carapils Malt 20L
½ lb. Briess Crystal Malt 120° L
½ lb. Briess Crystal Malt 40° L
1 oz. Millenium Hop Pellets (Bittering 1)
½ oz. Centennial Hop Pellets (Bittering 2)
1 oz. Cascade Hop Plugs (Flavoring 1)
½ oz. Centennial Hop Pellets (Flavoring 2)
1 oz. Cascade Hop Plugs (Finishing)
Wyeast # 1056 XL American Ale Yeast

Oh and how long with the liquid yeast keep in the fridge?

**IrregularPulse** · 02-17-2009, 03:50 PM

You can expect to wait a long time

What are you really asking here? Advice? technique? recipe approval?

cslewisster · 02-17-2009, 03:52 PM

All of the above, I'm freaking excited about it but I don't want to eff it up.

I'm mainly looking for possible trouble shooting tips for brewing something with this much malt...etc.

And how about the yeast? Should it be able to keep for a week, it's a packet and I didn't start the nutrient system located in it.

cslewisster · 02-17-2009, 04:27 PM

Sorry if that edit helps. Sorry if I was a little too ambiguous the first time.

Shawn Hargreaves · 02-17-2009, 04:55 PM

The most important thing for brewing such a big beer is to make a yeast starter. Without that, you are unlikely to get enough attenuation so it will come out too syrupy.

Second most important thing is to oxygenate your wort really well before pitching the yeast.

Third most important thing is temperature control: don't let it get too hot during fermentation!

Then wait. And wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. It will be a long time before this is ready to bottle, and even longer before it is ready to drink!

As long as you wait long enough, the end result will be delicious though :-)

cslewisster · 02-17-2009, 05:08 PM

What's the estimated time it will it set in the primary and then the secondary? I thought the take about a year to peak? Is that right?

Edit: Also how does the recipe look? I bought it at a local brewshop, and I trust the owners just wanted to know what a more experienced brewer than me thinks.

cslewisster · 02-17-2009, 05:15 PM

Also what's going to be a good temperature to keep it at during fermentation? The guy at the store seemed to think 60-70 was an ok temp to keep it at.

Shawn Hargreaves · 02-17-2009, 05:36 PM

The recipe looks fine to me.

I would leave it a month in primary, then maybe two months in secondary, then bottle. Ideally I'd then wait 9 months before drinking, but in practice I probably wouldn't have the will power to wait that long, so I'd most likely try a bottle or two before they were really ready :-)

Mid 60s would be a good fermentation temperature. Above 70 and you will start getting off flavors and harsher alcohols. But bear in mind that fermentation creates heat, and for such a big beer, this is going to be a lot of heat! So if your surrounding room is 65, the beer could easily end up in the low 70's during vigorous fermentation. Err on the side of caution at least while it's bubbling away: I'd try to keep the surroundings down to 60 if possible. You can let it rise to the upper 60's once fermentation slows down, to help the yeast finish up.

cslewisster · 02-17-2009, 05:41 PM

Thanks for putting up with all these questions you guys are great. This is my second brew so I'm still pretty wet behind the ears.

One last question, I'm using a bucket for my primary, will that be ok? Or will the plastic mess with the flavor in some way?

double_e5 · 02-17-2009, 06:15 PM

A bucket is fine for the primary.